Vegan Reuben

This Vegan Reuben is stacked with Seitan Corned Beef, Russian Dressing, Sauerkraut, Cheese all on Grilled Rye Bread!

I’ve eaten a ton of non-vegan and Vegan Reuben Sandwiches in my day, and this one is hands down my favorite! It’s definitely my favorite Vegan one by far.

You could argue that a non-vegan one tastes better (and I’m sure a lot of non-vegans probably would) but what I like about this is even when it’s stacked up high, I don’t feel heavy and bloated after eating it like I did with a non-vegan Reuben.

I initially made these after I had a bunch of leftover Seitan Roast Beef from my Arby’s Vegan Beef n’ Cheddar and loved them so much I decided I’d make a full recipe for ’em!

Ingredients for a Vegan Reuben

Vegan Corned Beef

For the Corned Beef, we are using the Seitan recipe from my Vegan Beef n’ Cheddar.

If you don’t want to make your own Vegan Roast Beef, there’s products like Tofurky, and I really like the Roast Beef by the BEHIVE, so check them out as well!

• Vital Wheat Gluten – this is the base and it can’t be substituted unfortunately!
• Super Firm Tofu – I recommend getting the vacuum sealed tofu that doesn’t need pressing. You can use Extra Firm, but press it as much as possible. You may need to adjust the vital wheat gluten as well.
• Mushroom Seasoning – I love this stuff and use it often. You can substitute with Miso Paste (1 tsp per 1 Tbsp of Mushroom Seasoning.)
• Nutritional Yeast – This is gonna provide a lot of delicious umami flavor!
• Vegan Beef Bouillon – I like the Better Than Bouillon stuff, but you can use regular Veggie bouillon if you can’t get a hold of it.
• Baking Powder – This is just to cut out the funky aftertaste that seitan can sometimes have.
• Red Coloring – If you want the Seitan to have a red tint, you can use some Red Yeast Rice Powder or Red Food Coloring.
• Other Seasonings – we will use liquid smoke, as well as some pantry staples to overload this seitan with flavor!

On top of that, we’ll make a Spice Blend to rub on the Seitan as well.

vegan russian dressing

We’ll also be throwing together a quick and easy Russian Dressing! It’s so dang good, I was eating it with a spoon!

Sauerkraut

Use whatever Sauerkraut you like! I do recommend squeezing it dry so it doesn’t make the sandwich soggy.

Rye Bread

Reubens traditionally come on Rye Bread, so I recommend using whatever you like. If you have a Jewish Bakery nearby I would urge you to get their bread over something you’d get at a big box chain supermarket as it’ll likely be far superior!

cheese

Swiss is traditional on a Reuben, but I will use Follow Your Heart Provolone or Chao slices instead.

How to Make a Vegan Reuben

First let’s make the seitan! Simply blend up some super firm tofu with a bunch of seasonings until it’s similar to a hummus consistency. I highly recommend a food processor for this recipe!

Next add in the vital wheat gluten. Blend and knead that in the food processor for 3 – 5 minutes or until it’s stretchy and doesn’t rip apart easily.

Form it into a ball, and let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes to help the gluten develop more.

You can either use a store bought pickling spice blend or make the recipe I’ll provide below. If you make it from scratch, toast the spices for 2 – 3 minutes.

I recommend grinding it up in a spice grinder, but a mortar and pestle will work too.

Then oil up the Seitan and rub the spice blend on it until fully coated.

To cook it, you have a couple options. First you can roll it up with some HEAVY DUTY foil. Wrap it as tightly as possible. I recommend double wrapping it as well. Seitan likes to expand when you cook it. If it expands too much you will get a “bready” texture with a lot of holes instead of a tight and compact texture like deli meat.

Or you can add it to an Oven Safe Ham Press which is my new preferred method for cooking seitan. This not only keeps the seitan from expanding, but it cuts down on waste since you don’t need to use any tin foil.

Then you can either bake it in the oven, or pressure cook in something like an Instant Pot. I highly recommend using a Thermometer to check the internal temp and pull it out once it’s at 180 – 200 F. I also find that baking it standing upright can sometimes cause it to bake unevenly, so I suggest laying it on its side, flipping it halfway through cooking to ensure a more even bake.

If your Ham Press isn’t oven safe, you can use the Instant Pot, or Boil it on the stove top according to brand’s instructions. Just get the internal temp of the seitan to 180 – 200 F.

Then let it cool and rest in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight.

The next day, slice it however you wish. I like using a deli slicer, but a sharp knife or mandolin will work too.

To make the Russian Dressing, simply whisk everything together.

I recommend draining and squeezing out the liquid from the sauerkraut. This will help the sandwich from getting soggy.

To make the sandwich, simply heat up the Vegan Corned Beef in a skillet or griddle.

Next, butter your bread, and add it butter side down, top it with some of the Russian Dressing, followed by the Vegan Corned Beef.

Add the Vegan Cheese, Sauerkraut, and more Russian Dressing on the top piece of bread.

Grill over medium heat for about 3 – 4 minutes or until golden brown and flip. Cook the other side for another 3 – 4 minutes. Slice in half and enjoy!

Storage & Reheating

Store leftover Seitan Corned Beef in the fridge and enjoy within a week.

You can also freeze the seitan for up to 3 months. If you slice it first, I suggest portioning it into serving sizes and freezing in between parchment paper so they don’t stick together.

The Russian Dressing should be good for up to 1 week.

10 Tips for Deli Style Seitan Slices

1. Add more vital wheat gluten or liquid to the dough as needed if it is too wet or dry.
2. Knead (ideally using a Food Processor) until the seitan is stretchy and resists tearing easily. You want to see some good gluten strands!
3. If your food processor is too small to knead all of the seitan at one time, split it in half and knead in 2 batches. Then combine the two halves by simply kneading them together by hand.
4. You can either bake your seitan by wrapping it in 2 layers of heavy duty foil, or you can use an Oven Safe Ham Press. I prefer the ham press because it’s zero waste and will get you a nice compact texture, perfect for deli meats. If your Ham Press isn’t oven safe, you can boil it on the stove top (I recommend following the brands instructions).
5. You can also pressure cook it in an 6 Quart Instant Pot for 1 hour, with a natural release of 15 minutes, either wrapped in foil or in a Ham Press (doesn’t need to be oven safe for Instant Pot).
6. If you can, use a Thermometer and take out the seitan after it reaches 180 – 200 F (82 – 93 C).
7. Let the seitan cool and rest in the foil or ham press. Then refrigerate overnight. This step is crucial in getting a good texture so don’t skip it!
8. To slice the seitan, use either a sharp knife or mandolin, or if you have the space, I highly recommend using a Deli Slicer! If you think you’ll make your own deli meats a lot, this is a worthwhile investment!
9. If for some reason your seitan is a bit undercooked and gummy, you can fry the slices in some oil to finish cooking them.
10. Likewise if the seitan is cooked to your preference, you can coat the slices in a little oil if you like, I find it helps the taste and texture, but it’s totally optional! And you can even fry them for a bit in a pan to warm them up and get them a little browned as well.

More recipes you’ll dig

• Deli Turkey Slices
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• BLT

Vegan Reuben

Thee Burger Dude

4.34 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Sandwiches

Cuisine American

Equipment

• Food Processor
• Deli Slicer
• Mandolin
• Instant Pot
• Spice Grinder

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

Vegan Roast Beef

• 16 oz Super Firm Tofu
• 1 1/4 cup Vital Wheat Gluten (I recommend weighing it – 150g)
• 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Beefless Broth Concentrate (or Veggie Broth Concentrate)
• 1 Tbsp Vegan Worcestershire
• 1 tsp Liquid Smoke
• 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Blackstrap Molasses
• 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 2 Tbsp Mushroom Seasoning (I used Imperial Taste Brand) (or 2 tsp Miso Paste)
• 3 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Dried Oregano
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Red Yeast Rice Powder (or Red Food Coloring)
• Water (if needed)

Spice Blend

• 1 Tbsp Mustard Seeds
• 1 Tbsp Black Peppercorns
• 1 Tbsp Coriander Seeds
• 5 Cloves
• 3 Bay Leaves
• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Ground Ginger
• 1/2 tsp Ground Allspice
• 1/2 tsp Ground Cardamom
• 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

Russian Dressing

• 2/3 cup Vegan Mayo
• 1/4 cup Ketchup
• 2 Tbsp Dill Relish
• 2 Tbsp Prepare Horseradish
• 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• 2 tsp Vegan Worcestershire

Sandwich

• Rye Bread
• Vegan Butter
• Vegan Cheese
• Sauerkraut

Instructions

 

Russian Dressing

• Simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Seitan Corned Beef

• I highly suggest using Super Firm Tofu (the kind that's vacuum packed and doesn't need pressing). You can use Extra Firm, but you'll need to press out as much water as possible. You may need to adjust the amount of vital wheat gluten as well.

  In a food processor, blend up the super firm tofu along with everything else EXCEPT the vital wheat gluten. Blend for a couple minutes until the texture is similar to hummus.
• Add in the vital wheat gluten and blend and knead for 3 – 5 minutes or until the seitan is stretchy and firm. If it tears very easily it needs to be kneaded longer. Pull it out and check it every now and again until you get the desired texture.

  I have made this many times with Super Firm Tofu and weighing out exactly 150g of Vital Wheat Gluten and it always works perfectly. If you are using another kind of tofu it may be more wet and will need more vital wheat gluten.

  If that is the case, add a tablespoon or so of vital wheat gluten and blend, and repeat until the seitan is dry enough to knead into a firm and stretchy consistency.

  On the flipside, if it's too dry, add a splash of water until it becomes wet enough to knead into a stretchy consistency.

  Refer to the photos in the blog for more info if you are new to making seitan!
• Form your Seitan into a ball, then let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes. If using an oven, preheat to 350 F.
• If making a homemade spice blend, add the mustard seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, and cloves to a preheated pan over medium heat. Toast for 2 – 3 minutes.

  Break up the bay leaves into smaller bits, and add them along with the toasted spices to a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Blend until coarsely ground. Add the remaining spices and blend to combine, making sure you don't grind it into a fine powder. Try to keep it coarsely ground.
• Lighty coat the seitan loaf in some cooking oil, spread it around and then coat it with the spice blend. Making sure to coat it thoroughly.
• Wrap the seitan in some Heavy Duty foil tightly. I recommend using two layers of foil.

  Place on a baking sheet, then bake for 1 hour or until the seitan is around 180 – 200 F internally (using a thermometer), flipping it halfway through.

  For more Cooking Options, check the NOTES section!
• Let the Seitan cool to room temp, then rest in the fridge for 8 hours or OVERNIGHT. This is very important for the final texture to firm up. It will be too soft right out of the oven or instant pot.
• Slice up your Vegan Corned Beef with a deli slicer if you got one, a sharp knife or mandolin works too!

Reuben

• Prep the sauerkraut by draining it and squeezing out as much liquid as you can. I do this over a fine mesh strainer lined bowl. This will help the sandwich from getting soggy.

  Spread some vegan butter on 2 slices of rye bread. Add as many slices of the vegan corned beef as you'd like per sandwich to a skillet or griddle over medium heat and grill for about 1 – 2 minutes, just to heat through.
• Scooch the vegan corned beef to the side, add a slice of buttered rye bread butter side down. Spread as much Russian Dressing as you'd like, then pile on the vegan corned beef. Add a slice of vegan cheese, a handful of the sauerkraut, spread more dressing on the other slice of bread, and then place it on top (buttered side up).
• Grill the sandwich for 3 – 4 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and grill for another 3 – 4 minutes. Remove from heat, slice in half and enjoy!

Notes

COOKING OPTIONS

There’s a few ways to cook this seitan recipe!

1. You can pressure cook it on high, in an Instant Pot for 1 hour. Add a cup of water to the Instant Pot and place the wrapped seitan on a steamer basket. Let it natural release for 15 minutes.
2. You can also use a Ham Press (my favorite way as there’s no foil involved and it gives a uniform shape and great texture) If the Ham Press is oven safe, you can bake it at 350 F / 176 C for 1 hour or until the internal temp is 180 – 200 F.
3. If the Ham Press isn’t oven safe, you can pressure cook it in the Instant Pot (using the same instructions in Option 1), or you can boil it on the stove top (I would follow the brands instructions) and just make sure the internal temp is 180 – 200 F. 

 

10 TIPS FOR DELI STYLE SEITAN

1. Add more vital wheat gluten or liquid to the dough as needed if it is too wet or dry.
2. Knead (ideally using a Food Processor) until the seitan is stretchy and resists tearing easily. You want to see some good gluten strands!
3. If your food processor is too small to knead all of the seitan at one time, split it in half and knead in 2 batches. Then combine the two halves by simply kneading them together by hand.
4. You can either bake your seitan by wrapping it in 2 layers of heavy duty foil, or you can use an Oven Safe Ham Press. I prefer the ham press because it’s zero waste and will get you a nice compact texture, perfect for deli meats. If your Ham Press isn’t oven safe, you can boil it on the stove top (I recommend following the brands instructions).
5. You can also pressure cook it in an 6 Quart Instant Pot for 1 hour, with a natural release of 15 minutes, either wrapped in foil or in a Ham Press (doesn’t need to be oven safe for Instant Pot).
6. If you can, use a Thermometer and take out the seitan after it reaches 180 – 200 F (82 – 93 C).
7. Let the seitan cool and rest in the foil or ham press. Then refrigerate overnight. This step is crucial in getting a good texture so don’t skip it!
8. To slice the seitan, use either a sharp knife or mandolin, or if you have the space, I highly recommend using a Deli Slicer! If you think you’ll make your own deli meats a lot, this is a worthwhile investment!
9. If for some reason your seitan is a bit undercooked and gummy, you can fry the slices in some oil to finish cooking them.
10. Likewise if the seitan is cooked to your preference, you can coat the slices in a little oil if you like, I find it helps the taste and texture, but it’s totally optional! And you can even fry them for a bit in a pan to warm them up and get them a little browned as well.

Keyword reuben, vegan reuben

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